U.S. patent number 4,043,540 [Application Number 05/617,154] was granted by the patent office on 1977-08-23 for mixer paddle assembly and drive system.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Stone Construction Equipment, Inc.. Invention is credited to Guthrie B. Stone, deceased.
United States Patent |
4,043,540 |
Stone, deceased |
August 23, 1977 |
Mixer paddle assembly and drive system
Abstract
A plaster or mortar mixer embodying a stub shaft mounting
assembly for the mixer paddles disposed interiorly of the mixing
drum and a reduction gear drive system enabling use of a standard
electric motor or universal internal combustion engine with the
reduction drive system employing a belt and pulleys, a sprocket
chain and sprocket gears and a meshing gear assembly which
eliminates the necessity of a relatively expensive reduction gear
unit thereby rendering the mixer less expensive to manufacture and
maintain. The stub shaft mounting of the mixer paddles enables the
paddles to be permanently and rigidly secured to the paddle shaft
in the form of a supporting tube such as by welding or the like
with the stub shafts detachably connected to the tube in order to
facilitate the removal of and replacement of the paddles and
tube.
Inventors: |
Stone, deceased; Guthrie B.
(late of Honeoye, NY) |
Assignee: |
Stone Construction Equipment,
Inc. (Honeoye, NY)
|
Family
ID: |
24472489 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/617,154 |
Filed: |
September 26, 1975 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
366/222;
366/329.2; 366/329.3; 366/330.1; 366/327.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B28C
5/0831 (20130101); B01F 35/30 (20220101); B01F
33/502 (20220101); B01F 27/60 (20220101); B01F
27/2322 (20220101); B01F 27/114 (20220101) |
Current International
Class: |
B01F
15/00 (20060101); B01F 13/00 (20060101); B28C
5/08 (20060101); B28C 5/00 (20060101); B01F
7/00 (20060101); B28C 007/16 (); B28C 005/14 () |
Field of
Search: |
;259/10,46,110,171,178R,109,9,170,169,178A |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Jenkins; Robert W.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: O'Brien; Clarence A. Jacobson;
Harvey B.
Claims
What is claimed as new is as follows:
1. In a mixer having a drum, a paddle shaft having a plurality of
paddles thereon, and means journaling the paddle shaft for rotation
mixing material in the drum, that improvement comprising a rive
assembly for driving said paddle shaft at a slow rotational speed
including a large driven gear connected to the paddle shaft, a
small driving gear meshed with the large gear, a power device
having an output shaft driven at a high speed, and a speed
reduction assembly interconnecting the output shaft and small
driving gear, said speed reduction assembly including coplanar
small and large pulleys and an encircling belt and coplanar small
and large sprocket gears and an encircling chain arranged in series
relationship.
2. The structutre as defined in claim 1 wherein the small pulley is
mounted on the output shaft, the large pulley and small sprocket
gear being journaled on a projecting end portion of the paddle
shaft outwardly of the large driven gear, said large pulley and
small sprocket gear being rigidly connected, the large sprocket
gear being rigid with respect to the small driving gear.
3. In a mixer having a pivotally supported drum, a paddle shaft
extending longitudinally of the drum and including paddles thereon,
means disposed exteriorly of the drum for driving the paddle shaft,
that improvement comprising shaft means connected with the paddle
shaft and forming longitudinal extensions thereof, said shaft means
being journaled in the opposite walls of the drum and being
accessible exteriorly of the drum, and means detachably connecting
the shaft means with the paddle shaft to enable separation of the
shaft means from the paddle shaft and removal of the paddle shaft
and paddles from the drum without removing the drum from its
support, said shaft means being in the form of a pair of stub
shafts, each of said stub shafts being connected with an end
portion of the paddle shaft closely adjacent to but spaced from the
opposite walls of the drum, said stub shafts extending exteriorly
of the drum for longitudinal removal of the stub shafts when the
inner ends of the stub shafts are disconnected from the end
portions of the paddle shaft, said paddles being rigidly and
permanently secured to the paddle shaft, the opposite walls of the
drum having external bearing assemblies journaling the drum for
pivotal movement about a longitudinal axis concentric with the
rotational axis of the paddle shaft with the bearing assemblies
enabling insertion and removal of the stub shafts longitudinally in
relation to the end portions of the paddle shaft.
4. The structure as defined in claim 3, wherein said means for
driving the paddle shaft includes a prime mover, a speed reduction
assembly interconnecting the prime mover and one of said stub
shafts, said speed reduction assembly including a pair of meshed
gears with one of the gears being secured to one of the stub shafts
to enable longitudinal removal of the stub shaft and longitudinal
movement of the meshed gears in relation to each other when the
stub shaft is longitudinally removed from the drum wall.
5. The structure as defined in claim 4, wherein said speed
reduction assembly also includes a belt and pulley assembly and a
sprocket chain and sprocket gear assembly arranged in series
relation between the prime mover and pair of meshed gears thereby
eliminating the necessity of employing a reduction gear unit, said
prime mover including a relatively high speed output shaft
connected to a smaller pulley of the belt and pulley assembly
thereby enabling selective use of an electric motor or an internal
combustion engine as a prime mover.
6. The structure as defined in claim 5, wherein said drum includes
handle means thereon to pivot the drum from a mixing position to a
dumping position, said drum including a lateral opening between
opposite end walls forming means enabling placement of materials to
be mixed therein and discharge of mixed materials when pivoted to a
dumping position, said bearing assembly on the opposite walls of
the drum including outwardly projecting cylindrical bosses
supported on longitudinally spaced support members forming a
portion of a mobile frame having wheel means thereon to facilitate
transport of the mixer to a desired site, said prime mover and
speed reduction assembly being mounted on said frame and connected
with the stub shaft on the end thereof which projects through the
bearing assembly to the side of the support remote from the
drum.
7. In a mixer having a pivotally supported drum provided with
opposed end walls, a paddle shaft extending longitudinally of the
drum and including paddles thereon, the opposed end walls of the
drum having external bearing assemblies journaling the drum for
pivotal movement about a longitudinal axis concentric with the
rotational axis of the paddle shaft, means disposed exteriorly of
the drum for driving the paddle shaft, that improvement comprising
shaft means connected with the paddle shaft and forming
longitudinal extensions thereof, said shaft means being journaled
in the bearing assemblies on the opposed end walls of the drum and
being accessible exteriorly of the bearing assemblies, and means
detachably connecting the shaft means with the paddle shaft to
enable separation of the shaft means from the paddle shaft, said
bearing assemblies enabling insertion and removal of the shaft
means longitudinally in relation to the paddle shaft and bearing
assemblies thereby enabling removal of the paddle shaft and paddles
from the drum without removing the drum from its support.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to mixers for use in mixing
plaster, mortar or the like and includes a pivotally mounted drum
which can be pivoted to a dumping position about a horizontal axis
together with a rotatable paddle assembly disposed interiorly of
the drum and driven by a prime mover mounted on a portable frame or
the like in which the paddle assembly includes a novel and unique
stub shaft mounting for the paddle shaft and paddles and a drive
system enabling alternate use of an electric motor or a small
internal combustion engine either of which is readily available
without necessitating the purchase and utilization of a relatively
expensive reduction gear unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Plaster and mortar mixers which include a pivotal drum in which
mixing paddles rotate have been manufactured by the assignee for a
number of years with prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,334,871, issued Aug. 8,
1967 disclosing a cover guard arrangement for the mixing drum,
3,905,519, issued Sept. 16, 1975 illustrating a latching and
unlatching assembly for the pivotal mixing drum. Other prior
patents such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,630,789, issued May 31, 1927,
2,668,695, issued Feb. 9, 1954 and 1,708,947, issued April 1929
disclose mixers of this type. Such devices usually are mounted on a
wheeled frame and a prime mover is mounted on the frame and is in
driving connection with a paddle shaft which extends longitudinally
through the mixer drum with a plurality of paddles being secured to
the paddle shaft. A large gear is attached to the paddle shaft
externally of the drum and is in meshing engagement with a smaller
pinion gear which, in turn, is drivingly connected to an electric
motor or a small internal combustion engine of appropriate
horsepower. In view of the relatively slow rotational speed
required for the paddle shaft, a reduction gear unit is usually
obtained along with the prime mover as a composite unit which
materially increases the cost of the mixer since conventional and
universally employed electric motors or internal combustion engines
cannot be used. In addition, the individual paddles are bolted to
the paddle shaft which enables removal of the paddles but also
introduce a bolted joint which sometimes can become loosened and
requires each paddle to be individually removed from the paddle
shaft in order to replace wear components provided on the
paddles.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a paddle assembly
for a plaster or mortar mixer of the type having a pivotal drum and
a rotatable paddle shaft extending therethrough with the paddle
shaft including a central tubular member disposed within the drum
and having a plurality of paddles welded thereto and a pair of stub
shafts secured to the ends of the tubular paddle shaft and being
journaled in suitable sealed bearings in the end walls of the drum
with one of the stub shafts having the large drive gear secured
thereto externally of the drum end wall.
Another object of the invention is to provide a mixer having a
unique drive system employing belts, pulleys, sprocket chains and
gears for driving a small drive pinion in meshing engagement with
the large drive gear to enable conventional, over-the-counter,
universal electric motors and internal combustion engines to be
alternatively employed as a prime mover for driving the paddle
shaft at a required speed without the necessity of employing an
expensive reduction gear unit.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a plaster and
mortar mixer having a paddle assembly and drive system in
accordance with the preceding objects which is less expensive to
manufacture than presently available mixers, requires less
maintenance and enables maintenance to be accomplished in less time
and with less labor.
These together with other objects and advantages which will become
subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and
operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed,
reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part
hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an end elevational view of the drive system for the mixer
illustrating an electric motor as the prime mover.
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the construction of FIG. 1
with a portion of the mixer drum broken away illustrating the
tubular paddle shaft and stub shafts extending therefrom.
FIG. 3 is an exploded group perspective view illustrating the
construction of the mixer drum, paddle shaft, stub shafts and drive
system with an internal combustion engine employed as the prime
mover.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now specifically to the drawings, the plaster or mortar
mixer is generally designated by the numeral 10 and includes a
mixer drum generally designated by numeral 12 which includes end
walls 14 and a curved peripheral wall 16 having an open top 18 and
a discharge opening 20 defined by a chute 22 all of which
represents conventional construction. The mixer 10 includes a
supporting framework 24 having a pair of wheels 26 at one end
thereof and a supporting prop or legs 28 at the other end with this
construction forming no particular part of the present invention.
The drum 12 also includes a handle 30 for pivoting the drum about a
horizontal axis for movement between an upright position
illustrated in FIG. 1 to a dumping position with a guard 32 being
provided over the opening 18 and the opening 20 which swings away
from the chute 22 when the drum 12 is pivoted to a dumping position
in which the chute 22 inclines downwardly for discharging the
material from the mixer drum 12 into a suitable vehicle such as a
wheelbarrow or the like.
The frame 24 includes uprights 36 and 38 which journal a paddle
shaft 40 which extends longitudinally through the mixer drum 12 for
providing not only a pivotal support for the drum 12 but also
provides rotational movement of the paddle shaft 40 in relation to
the drum 12. The paddle shaft assembly 40 includes one end which
extends beyond the upright 38 and is drivingly connected with a
large drive gear or bull gear 42 which is in meshing engagement
with a small pinion gear 44 thereby driving the paddle shaft 40 at
a reduced speed in relation to the driving pinion gear 44. Th bull
gear 42 and the driving pinion gear 44 are disposed in a suitable
enclosure or housing 46.
In previous structures, the paddle shaft 40 has included an
elongated rod or shaft extending throughout the length of the drum
and projecting beyond the ends of the drum with paddles being
secured to the paddle shaft by bolt-type fasteners or the like. In
this construction, the paddle shaft 40 includes an elongated
tubular shaft 48 which extends substantially from end to end of the
drum but terminates inwardly from the end walls 14 thereof. Rigidly
affixed to the tubular paddle shaft 48 is a plurality of paddles 50
and 52 which are fixedly secured thereon as by welding 54 so that
the paddles and the paddle shaft become a unitary and integral
structure thereby eliminating bolt-type connections between a
paddle shaft and paddles.
The construction and arrangement of the paddles 50 and 52 may be
varied depending upon the size of the drum and the material to be
mixed. On a smaller drum such as illustrated in FIG. 2, a pair of
end paddles 52 may be employed while in a slightly larger drum as
illustrated in FIG. 3, in addition to the end paddles 52, a pair of
center paddles 50 may be employed with each of the paddles
including radial members 56 and transverse members 58 with the
outermost transverse members 58 being provided with a rubber blade
60 thereon. In the end paddles, the transverse members 58 have an
interconnecting member 61 at one end thereof which is also provided
with a rubber blade 62. The particular construction and arrangement
of the paddles in and of themselves may vary depending upon the
particular size of mixer and materials to be mixed with the rubber
blades being replaceable and resistant to abrasion due to the
materials being mixed. Also, the blades are properly associated
with each other and with the drum so that the material within the
drum will be thoroughly mixed during rotation of the hollow paddle
shaft 48 which may be in the form of a pipe which is hollow
throughout its length or may be in the form of a shaft having
hollow ends. In either event, the ends of the hollow shaft 48
receive telescopically a short stub shaft 64 and 66 therethrough
with the ends of the hollow paddle shaft 48 and the ends of the
stub shafts 64 and 66 received respectively therein having pairs of
alignable openings 68 for receiving bolt type fasteners 70
therethrough thus securing the stub shafts 64 and 66 into the ends
of the hollow paddle shaft 48 so that the stub shafts 64 and 66
extend through bearing and seal assemblies 72 in each end wall 14
of the drum 16 and also suitable bearing and seal assemblies
supported at the upper ends of the standards 36 and 38. The
specific details of the bearing and seal assemblies are disclosed
in a copending application Ser. No. 472,466, filed May 22, 1974 by
Christian T. Tertinek and Alan J. Stone now U.S. Pat. No.
3,932,006, issued Jan. 13, 1976, and assigned to the same assignee.
The stub shaft 64 at the engine end of the mixer is provided with a
reduced end that is keyed to and fixedly secured to the large spur
gear 42 and includes an extending end portion 74 of reduced
diameter which journals a small sprocket gear 76 and a pulley 78
which are rigidly secured to each other and form a rigid assembly
journaled on the reduced extension 74 of the stub shaft 64 by
suitable bearings and retainers. The stub shaft 66 has an
internally threaded end 67 to captivate the shaft. As illustrated
in FIG. 3, the small sprocket gear 76 engaged by a sprocket chain
80 that is entrained around a larger sprocket gear 82 rigid with
gear 44 and which are supported on a stub shaft 84 journaled on a
pair of bearings 88, one of which is secured to the side of the
standard 38 and one of which is secured to a special bracket
86.
The belt pulley 78 is in alignment with a drive pulley 90 supported
on the output shaft 92 of an internal combustion engine 94 with a
drive belt 96 interconnecting the pulleys 90 and 78 with the
pulleys and belt being of a conventional V construction and either
a single or multiple grooved pulley and belt arrangement may be
used. With this construction, a conventional, universal internal
combustion engine 94 may be employed with the drive pulley 90 being
secured directly to the output shaft 92 by a suitable key or other
secure connection thus enabling a conventional, "over-the-counter"
internal combustion engine 94 to be employed. The engine base may
be adjustably supported on the frame in any suitable manner to
enable the belt 96 to be tightened or loosened. In lieu of an
internal combustion engine, the prime mover for driving the paddle
shaft may be in the form of an electric motor 100 driving the
pulley 90 and V belt 96 in the same manner as the internal
combustion engine with the speed reduction provided between the
pulley 90 on either the engine 94 or the motor 100 and the pulley
78 and the reduction between the sprocket gears 76 and 82 and the
reduction between the gears 44 and 42 enabling the paddle shaft
assembly 40 to be driven at the required rotational speed.
This construction is substantially less expensive to produce and
requires less maintenance and when maintenance is required, less
time and labor is necessary to replace or repair components. One of
the cost factors which has been reduced is the elimination of the
necessity of obtaining a relatively expensive reduction gear unit
either incorporated into or added onto the electric motor or
internal combustion engine.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles
of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes
will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired
to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation
shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and
equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the
invention.
* * * * *